The present invention concerns a method for chemically separating gaseous mixtures of matter and particularly isotopes, using laser beams to make possible a directed chemcial reaction of a mixture component, with a chemical reaction partner.
It is known that molecules which are composed of at least two different elements, absorb electromagnetic radiation in the infrared region. The infrared absorption spectra reflects the structure of the molecules, and are caused by the energy transitions of the rotation-vibrational states. As the vibration energy of a molecule depends greatly on the mass of the participating atoms, molecules which contain one kind of element with different isotopes, also have different spectra-scopically detectable absorption lines.This difference in infrared absorption can be used for isotope separation or more generally speaking, for the separation of matter, if the infrared emission line of a laser is brought into resonance with the rotation vibration line of the respective molecule of the kind of atom to be separated, so the molecule is excited thereby. The molecule excited in this manner can then be made to react from its higher energy level thus imparted, with suitable partners. In other words, the absorption of a light quantum by such a molecule constitutes a supply of energy which, with regard to the initiation of certain chemical reactions, has a similar effect as, for instance, an increase in temperature.
According to this principle, a mixture of methanol and deuterized methanol has already been separated by bromination of the normal methanol, for which see "Applied Physics Letters", vol. 17, no. 12, pages 516 to 519. According to the same principle, the separation of uranium isotopes in furthermore proposed in the (German) Offenlegungsschrift No. 1,959,767 of June 3, 1971.
The implementation of this known method for isotope separation, however, hangs on three conditions; first, laser arrangements must be available which can be tuned to the desired molecular vibration frequencies; secondly, the energy of this radiation must be great enough to that the chemical reaction can be released, and third, the reaction partner must be chosen so that a separation of the newly generated mixture of matter in a reaction apparatus is possible. However, as in the infrared region the energy which can be supplied, for instance by means of lasers, is relatively small, the feasibility of the above known method is very limited.
The problem therefore exists to further develop this known method in such a way that such energy limitations are less important.